Social responsibility

Nature Valley granola bars, with a long history of supporting and protecting America's national parks, today announced an extension of that support. Nature Valley will partner with the National Park Foundation (NPF), the official nonprofit partner to the National Park Service, for the Find Your Park/Encuentra Tu Parque movement. Nature Valley's support includes a three-year commitment and a donation of up to $3 million.

General Mills today launched the General Mills Feeding Better Futures Scholars Program, which asks youth to share their ideas to help solve the challenge of feeding a growing world population. Feeding Better Futures will serve as a catalyst in addressing hunger relief and sustainable agriculture issues by championing the bright ideas of today’s youth. Young innovators are invited to pitch their in-action solutions for the opportunity to present at the Aspen Ideas Festival, be partnered with industry mentors, and earn up to $50,000 to further their program and education.

General Mills continues to invest in soil health practices on U.S. agricultural farmland with its latest contribution of $735,000 to the National Wheat Foundation. The foundation, along with the Soil Health Partnership, will advance widespread adoption and implementation of these practices.

General Mills has joined leading companies in an agreement to end deforestation, protect national parks from illegal cocoa production and develop alternative livelihoods for affected smallholder farmers in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana. The two countries produce nearly two-thirds of the world’s annual supply of cocoa. The far-reaching joint Frameworks for Action, led by the World Cocoa Foundation, was announced today at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP23) in Bonn, Germany.

As each school year approaches, schools and teachers gather the supplies and equipment they need to provide effective learning for students. But too often, gaps in funding force schools to make difficult decisions about what they need the most. For more than 20 years, one program has been helping bridge that gap for schools across the country, and in late September, supporters are gearing up to raise more money than ever.

General Mills today announced that Kim Nelson, Senior Vice President, External Relations and President of the General Mills Foundation will be retiring at the end of 2017. Nelson has been with the company for 29 years and most recently has had responsibility for the General Mills Foundation, Sustainability, Global Corporate Communications, Government Affairs and Public Policy, and Consumer Relations functions.

This summer, General Mills and Box Tops for Education™ surveyed nearly one thousand American parents to identify which activities and snacks families are enjoying most during the dog days of summer. The detailed survey concluded families are most interested in simple, outdoor activities and unexpected road trips with the right mix of snacks and fun in the sun. However, findings show the food enjoyed most varies by region.

General Mills today announced that Ivan Pollard has been named global chief marketing officer (CMO), effective July 10, 2017. Pollard will report to Jeff Harmening, chief executive officer and be accountable for establishing the company’s first global marketing and media planning function responsible for marketing strategies, connections planning, and building organizational capabilities globally.

General Mills has taken another step toward its climate goal with the signing of a virtual 15-year power purchase agreement with Renewable Energy Systems (RES) for 100-megawatts (MW) of its Cactus Flats wind project. The wind project will produce renewable energy credits for General Mills that can be applied toward the company’s greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. During the peak of construction, the project will create about 250 jobs in the clean energy workforce.

A national effort to enhance farm sustainability through soil health has additional backing from a major consumer foods manufacturer. Leaders from General Mills, The Nature Conservancy, the Soil Health Institute and the Soil Health Partnership announce a collaborative effort to advance soil health on America’s farms and ranches, paving the way for measurable economic and environmental gains for farmers, businesses and communities for generations to come.

General Mills released its 2017 Global Responsibility Report, outlining the company’s approach to creating environmental, social and economic value in the countries where it operates. General Mills continues to make significant progress toward nutrition improvements and sustainable sourcing of their food, as well as climate and pollinator protection – all key highlights of this year’s report.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota – Shoppers may notice something unusual about the boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios on grocery store shelves this spring -- "BuzzBee," the brand’s iconic spokesbee, is missing and there's a very important reason why. Buzz disappeared from boxes because there's something serious going on with the world's pollinators.

ANAHEIM, California – Cascadian Farm, a pioneer in the organic food movement, and parent company General Mills today announced their work with The Land Institute to help commercialize organic Kernza, a perennial grain and wild relative of annual wheat, whose deep roots show promise to increase soil health, carbon sequestration, water retention and enhance surrounding wildlife habitat. The sweet- and nutty-tasting grain lends itself particularly well as an ingredient for cereal and snacks.

General Mills has been recognized as a global climate leader and has been named to the CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) Climate A-List, Supplier Engagement Leader Board and Supplier Climate A-List. The company is among the 9 percent of global corporations participating in CDP’s climate change program to be awarded a position on the Climate A-List, in recognition of its performance and actions to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change in the past reporting year.

The Nature Conservancy and General Mills today unveiled the Soil Health Roadmap at the annual BSR Conference. Developed by an interdisciplinary team of Conservancy scientists, economists and agriculture experts and made possible through support from General Mills, the Roadmap makes the business case for investing in sustainable soil health practices to achieve unprecedented economic benefits for U.S. farmers and businesses, as well as significant conservation outcomes for generations to come.

The Nature Conservancy and General Mills today unveiled the Soil Health Roadmap at the annual BSR Conference. Developed by an interdisciplinary team of Conservancy scientists, economists and agriculture experts and made possible through support from General Mills, the Roadmap makes the business case for investing in sustainable soil health practices to achieve unprecedented economic benefits for U.S. farmers and businesses, as well as significant conservation outcomes for generations to come.

General Mills was named an AgWater Steward by Ceres and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for having far-reaching, ongoing water commitments and for showing action across all five categories of the group’s AgWater Challenge -- including water risk assessments and setting reduction goals, reducing water risk in agricultural supply chains and supporting producers in addressing these issues.

As California enters its sixth year of record-breaking drought, twenty leading organizations today announced their collaborative support for critical projects designed to protect California’s water future. Together the groups form the California Water Action Collaborative (CWAC).

As California enters its sixth year of record-breaking drought, twenty leading organizations today announced their collaborative support for critical projects designed to protect California’s water future. Together the groups form the California Water Action Collaborative (CWAC).

This fall, General Mills is celebrating the 20th birthday of its iconic Box Tops for Education™ program, which has provided schools in the U.S. with more than $780 million in funding over the last two decades. To mark the occasion, the company is reinforcing its commitment to strengthening hometown communities through school funding by doubling the value of Box Tops collected through an all-new Box Tops Bonus App during the months of September and October, and mounting a widespread push to get more people than ever participating in the program.

General Mills today announced a strategic sourcing partnership with the largest organic cooperative in the U.S. that will help about 20 dairy farms add around 3,000 acres to organic dairy production over the next three years.

General Mills was named to Newsweek's 2016 Green Rankings for the third consecutive year for its environmental performance within the company's operations. This year, General Mills improved to 29th out of 500 best publicly traded U.S. companies and 59th out of 500 best publicly traded global companies, up from 48th and 77th in 2015.

Today, General Mills released its 2016 Global Responsibility Report, which outlines the company’s goals and progress in the areas of health and wellness, sustainability, workplace and community engagement.

General Mills (NYSE: GIS) today reported results for the third quarter of fiscal 2016. General Mills Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ken Powell said, “Our third-quarter financial results were in line with our expectations.

Today, General Mills announced its commitment to champion development of water stewardship plans by 2025 for the company’s most material and at-risk watersheds in its global value chain. The commitment is in recognition of World Water Day and in conjunction with the White House Water Summit. As part of this commitment, the company will lead corporate collaboration efforts, foster development of foundational tools, and advocate science-based policy in these watersheds, commensurate with the gap in stewardship in each individual watershed.

General Mills today announced it will accelerate its commitment to more than double the organic acreage from which it sources ingredients. The company now expects to meet its goal of 250,000 acres by 2019. The increased acreage is directly linked to the company’s goals to grow net sales from its natural and organic products.

General Mills announces its 150th birthday today with plans for a year-long celebration. To celebrate its impact on a century and a half of food around the world, General Mills will share and highlight nostalgic food memorabilia from its historical archives. And honoring its journey of developing leading brands, life-changing inventions and cultural icons, General Mills is pledging “a future of continued innovation – and striving to help make its communities and the world a better place.”

General Mills today reported on progress it has made against its publicly stated commitment to reduce sodium by 20 percent across 10 key U.S. retail product categories by the end of 2015. General Mills has met or exceeded its stated goal in seven of ten categories, with reductions across the 10 categories ranging from 18 to 35 percent.

Today, General Mills signed on to American Business Act on Climate Pledge, joining more than 80 companies from across the American economy to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to climate action and to voice support for a strong outcome to the COP21 Paris climate negotiations.

General Mills announced today a commitment to reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 28 percent across its full value chain – from farm to fork to landfill – over the next 10 years. The commitment was calculated using science-based methodology to achieve a level of emission reductions that science suggests is necessary to sustain the health of the planet.

General Mills was named to Newsweek's 2015 Green Rankings for the second consecutive year for its commitment to corporate sustainability and efficiently managing environmental impact within the company's operations.

General Mills invests $50,000 to support the Canada-based Prairie Organic Grain Initiative (POGI), a multi-year program aimed at building resiliency and stability in the organic field crop sector while increasing the quantity and quality of organic field crops in Canada.

General Mills released its annual Global Responsibility Report, which outlines the company’s approach to creating economic, environmental and social value in the countries where it operates. General Mills reports progress on the most material topics related to its business – health and wellness, environment, sourcing, workplace and community engagement.

To celebrate 60 years of giving, the General Mills Foundation, in partnership with the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, has doubled its grant pool for 2014 to $1 million.

General Mills was named to Newsweek's 2014 Green Rankings for its commitment to corporate sustainability and efficiently managing environmental impact within the company's operations. The rankings are a respected and credible assessment of environmental performance.

Today, the General Mills Foundation, in partnership with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation and President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, awarded $1 million, twice that of previous years, to Champions for Healthy Kids grant recipients.

Today, Working Mother magazine named General Mills among the top five “Best Companies for Multicultural Women” in the U.S. — an honor that recognizes 25 U.S. corporations that create and use best practices in hiring, retaining and promoting women of color. In 2013, a majority of General Mills’ new hires were women and today, 45 percent of managers and 38 percent of directors at the company are female.

General Mills chairman and chief executive officer Ken Powell joined Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. president and chief executive officer Doug McMillon to announce a commitment to accelerate innovation in sustainable agriculture and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The announcement was made in Bentonville, Ark., at Walmart’s first ever Sustainability Product Expo.

For the 10th year, DiversityInc recognized General Mills’ corporate diversity and inclusion programs and practices on the Top 50 Companies for Diversity list. With more than 1,000 participating companies, the 2014 Top 50 list is the leading assessment of diversity management in corporate America and globally.

General Mills has released its annual Global Responsibility Report, outlining its approach to creating economic, environmental and social value in the countries where it operates. The company reported progress in the areas most material to its business – health, environment, sourcing, workplace and community engagement.

Today, Donna Brazile, well-known political commentator, strategist and author, encouraged the audience at this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Breakfast to judge success not by wealth, but by the quality of service to others.

General Mills was named to FORTUNE’s annual list of the “100 Best Companies to Work For.” General Mills placed 64th on this year’s list. General Mills has made the prestigious list 11 times since first appearing in 1998.

General Mills has improved the health profile of 73 percent of its U.S. Retail sales volume since 2005. These improvements include enhancing positive nutrition such as increasing protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, or reducing limiters such as calories, sodium, sugar and fat, all while ensuring great taste. In fiscal 2013 alone, the company improved more than 20 percent of its U.S. Retail sales volume and the nutritional improvements touched all General Mills U.S. Retail platforms, including Baking, Cereal, Dairy, Meals and Snacks.

General Mills has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index by S&P Dow Jones Indices, one of the world's largest providers of financial market indices, and RobecoSAM, the investment specialist focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing.

Today, General Mills released its 2013 Global Responsibility Report, which outlines the company’s progress and commitments in the areas of health, environment, sourcing, workplace and community engagement.

Hunger-Free Minnesota and the General Mills Foundation today announced a $220,000 grant award to Children’s Defense Fund – Minnesota. The grant is being given to support Hunger-Free Minnesota’s School Breakfast Program, a statewide effort aimed at increasing participation in the United States Department of Agriculture-funded School Breakfast Program.

Today, during an event where First Lady Michelle Obama discussed the need for increased physical activity opportunities in schools, the General Mills Foundation committed $10 million to help implement the new Presidential Youth Fitness Program, a comprehensive, school-based fitness assessment program.

General Mills and Häagen-Dazs today announced an initiative designed to foster greater economic vitality for smallholder vanilla farmers in Madagascar and ensure the availability of high quality vanilla for future generations.

In response to the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast of the United States Monday and Tuesday, General Mills and the General Mills Foundation today announced a commitment of $250,000 to aid disaster relief efforts.

New General Mills customer service facility achieves LEED Gold certification from U.S. Green Building Council. Company’s new distribution center in Fort Wayne, Ind., is the largest LEED Gold building of its kind in the U.S. and third largest in the world.

General Mills has improved the health profile of 68 percent of its U.S. Retail sales volume since 2005. In fiscal 2012 alone, the company improved nearly 16 percent of its U.S. Retail sales volume. Improvements include adding whole grains, fiber and calcium, and reducing calories, sugar, sodium and trans fat. General Mills first began tracking and quantifying health improvements in 2005.

The General Mills Foundation today announced 50 grants of $10,000 each to nonprofit organizations across the Twin Cities with programs designed to improve the lives of people within the local communities of color.

The General Mills Foundation, in collaboration with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation, announced the recipients of its 2012 Champions for Healthy Kids grants. As part of the program’s 10 year anniversary, 10 ‘best of the best’ legacy award recipients were selected from previous Champions for Healthy Kids grantees. Each organization was awarded $50,000 to continue their proven programming to improve nutrition and physical fitness behaviors among youth.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah visited General Mills’ technical center in Minneapolis to recognize employee volunteers for their global citizenship. The recognition was given to General Mills for its work with food processors and small-holder farmers in Africa through its hunger-fighting nonprofit, Partners in Food Solutions (PFS).

General Mills today announced that it improved the health profile of products comprising approximately 25 percent of its U.S. Retail sales volume in fiscal 2011. General Mills first began tracking and quantifying health improvements in 2005. Between fiscal 2005 and fiscal 2011, the company has improved the health profile of 64 percent of its U.S. Retail sales volume. Improvements have included adding whole grains, fiber and calcium, and reducing calories, sugar, sodium and trans fats.

Cereal Partners Worldwide, a joint venture between Nestlé and General Mills, today announced that its Innovation Center has become the first industrial building in Switzerland to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

General Mills Foodservice has awarded grants up to $3,000 each to 39 K-12 schools across the country through the National Dairy Council Fuel Up Breakfast Grant program. A total of $100,000 in funding was awarded to help schools build or expand their breakfast programs.

The General Mills Foundation today announces up to $100,000 in support to the American Refugee Committee (ARC) to speed famine relief efforts to the millions of Somalis on the brink of starvation. An initial $50,000 donation has been made to ARC, a humanitarian organization based in the Twin Cities.

General Mills today announced a $200,000 grant to researchers at the University of California-Davis to map the vanilla genome and to research natural crop improvements that will lead to a more sustainable supply of cultivated vanilla.

General Mills joined corporations and community partners from across Minnesota today to launch Hunger-Free Minnesota, a three-year initiative with the goal of sustainably adding 100 million meals annually for hungry children and adults in the state. General Mills today pledged $1 million in financial support which will be used to fund initiatives that will expand existing programs and increase efficiencies within the emergency food system, the Minnesota Food Support Program and Child Nutrition Programs.

At a monthly gathering of community leaders from the Hawthorne neighborhood of North Minneapolis, the General Mills Foundation announced plans for long-term support of North Minneapolis’ rebuilding efforts following the devastating tornadoes that struck the area a week ago. Today’s announcement is in addition to the General Mills Foundation’s previous pledge of $25,000 to support immediate disaster response efforts in North Minneapolis.

The General Mills Foundation, along with the American Dietetic Association Foundation and the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition today announced the 50 recipients of this year’s Champions for Healthy Kids grants, totaling $500,000. The grants are awarded to community-based organizations across the United States with dedicated programs that equip youth with the tools they need to live healthy, balanced and active lifestyles.

Americans are helping the hunger crisis with the Pound For Pound Challenge. As announced on last night’s season 11 finale of “The Biggest Loser: Couples,” participants pledged to lose more than 3.1 million pounds of weight, which will enable Feeding America to secure 3.1 million pounds of groceries for local food banks.

In response to the devastating tornadoes that struck the Midwestern United States on Sunday, the General Mills Foundation is pledging $75,000 to support immediate response efforts in Missouri and Minnesota.

General Mills today kicks off its annual “Think Global, Volunteer Local” campaign, a series of global volunteer projects that celebrates two of the company’s core values – volunteerism and sustainability.

General Mills today announced the availability of its 2011 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report covering the company’s progress on health, community and environmental initiatives. The report can be viewed or downloaded on the company’s new CSR website.

General Mills (NYSE: GIS) today announced the launch of Partners in Food Solutions as a hunger-fighting nonprofit bringing food production and food processing expertise to small and medium-sized food processors in African nation

Responding to widespread flood-related displacement and destruction in the region, the General Mills Foundation announced today a contribution of $250,000 to CARE Pakistan Flood Emergency Fund efforts in flood-ravaged Pakistan.

Advancing General Mills’ commitment to renewable energy, the company today announced a major solar energy initiative at its Methuen, Mass., facility. With the installation of solar panels now complete, solar energy is expected to supply nearly 80 percent of the warehouse’s summertime power needs, and 40 percent of its needs the rest of the year.

The General Mills Foundation is helping wage a battle against the growing rate of childhood obesity in the nation’s capital by providing a $100,000 matching grant to support the United Way of the National Capital Area’s (UWNCA) Child Wellness Initiative.

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, and National Volunteer Week, General Mills is kicking off a coordinated series of global volunteer projects through a program called “Think Global, Volunteer Local.”

General Mills’ 2010 Corporate Social Responsibility report highlights new and long-standing achievements in the areas of health, community and environment. The report is available for download at GeneralMills.com/csr.

Flood waters last week in the southeastern U.S. state of Georgia followed by a weekend typhoon in the Philippines prompted the General Mills Foundation to make two separate $25,000 disaster relief grants to support relief efforts in both areas.